ENCOUNTER RETREAT DAY

“AN AUTHENTIC AND ENGAGING RETREAT, An Encounter FOR CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS.”

Our society is longing for meaningful connections. Everything belongs. Our Connect & Belong Retreat allows all students to access the messages of connection, faith, belonging, gratitude, scripture, forgiveness, fun and relationship in an authentic way. It will engage, unite and uplift your students.

"Encounter Retreat Day" outline (for Catholic Secondary Schools):

Session 1- Encounter the Foundations

• Breaking free from the limitations of our self limiting beliefs

• The Power of togetherness - ‘UBUNTU’

• unleash the Potential of Social connection

• Engaging with Active listing
  

Session 2- Encounter Connection

• We Rise by lifting others

• how do we strengthening our Connections

• Respond over Reaction

• Seek first to understand then to be understood

Session 3- Encounter Appreciation

• The gift of Perspective.

• Creating a Ritual of Gratitude

• Appreciation of the world around us

RETREAT DESIGN AND DELIVERY

All retreats have been expertly designed in partnership with Luke McKenna, Founder and Director of Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP). Luke, previously an Assistant Principal at a Catholic school in Brisbane, taught Religious Education for years before starting UPP.

Peter McAuliffe is an edutrainer with over a decade of experience working with schools, communities, and church groups. Passionate about helping individuals develop both their inner character and outer significants, Peter empowers them to lead, influence, and serve with authenticity and purpose. His journey began as a college captain, sparking his commitment to inspiring students and staff to find meaning in faith and spirituality, and to lead through influence rather than power.

Before taking on Connect &belong , Peter worked under Luke, helping to lead a team that developed and delivered programs on growth mindsets, grit, leadership, and well-being. Their efforts continue to positively impacted over 300,000 people across Australia and Ireland, and this work continues to be trusted by teachers and principals. With extensive experience in behavior coaching and faith formation, Peter is now dedicated to impactful workshops and retreats that promote personal growth and the development of character and a positive experience of faith & Spirituality.

Our workshops follow a learning-action-reflection process, ensuring all students are engaged through a variety of methods, including videos, stories, activities, reflection, and partner sharing.our guarantee.

Our Connect and Belong Retreats are authentic and inclusive of students who are at different parts of their faith journey. The aim is that after a Connect and Belong Retreat, each student will be more open to exploring their spirituality, and that the whole cohort will be more connected.

Details and pricing

The investment for this engaging and transformative retreat is $22+GST/student (minimum investment of $1,800+GST/day), plus travel expenses (if applicable). The incursion is run by the Connect and Belong team from UPP at your school with a whole cohort of students. The best venue is your school hall (or similar), as we use a learning, action, reflection process throughout the day. For the greatest impact, we recommend that classroom RE teachers / Home Room teachers / Heads of House are present and involved for the whole day, as this has many benefits to the students and school moving forward.